maurice@edit  /  Citation Audit

Citation AuditReference checking for theses, dissertations and journal articles

Your citations, checked by an editor, in the style your institution requires.

Some citation problems need a person: a Nigerian government report that no database lists, a university that still requires an older edition, a citation that is correct in one style and wrong in another. The Citation Audit gives you a written report from Maurice Udom, an academic editor with more than 30 years’ experience, checked against the style and edition you name.

  • 48 hours to your report
  • Reviewed by Maurice Udom
  • From $15 (₦23,250)
Order now See a sample report

Your report arrives within 48 hours of receiving your file, as a Word file and a PDF, together with your own paper returned with a comment beside each issue. The wording of your text is never changed, and I delete my copies 14 days after delivery.

Maurice Udom, Ph.D.  |  Director and Chief Editor, Editorial Services, Veritas Knowledge Advisory Ltd, Abuja
Former Chief Editor (8 years), Akwapoly Journal of Communication & Scientific Research

What I check

Six checks, run on every document.

  • Missing and unused references

    Sources cited in your text but absent from the reference list, and sources in the list that are never cited. Both are easy to miss in a long document.

  • Mismatches

    Author names, years or spellings that differ between the text and the list, including wrong “2019a” and “2019b” labels when the same author appears more than once in a year.

  • Style consistency

    Whether the document follows your chosen style (APA, MLA or Chicago) from start to finish: punctuation, the use of “et al.”, ordering, and any mixing of styles.

  • Edition check

    Whether your citations follow the current edition of your style. If they follow an older one, the report says so, explains what changed, and points you to the current rules.

  • Incomplete entries

    Missing years, page ranges, publishers, volume or issue numbers, and DOIs where one exists.

  • Verification

    Each reference is checked against scholarly databases, to confirm that the work exists and that your details match the published record. This also catches references that cannot be traced, which can happen when text has been drafted with AI tools.

Styles and editions

The audit follows the current edition of your style, whichever style that is.

Editions checked in October 2026 against the style publishers and university library guides.
StyleEdition checkedPublished
General academic writing
APA7th edition2019 (dated 2020)
MLA9th edition2021
ChicagoNotes-bibliography and author-date18th edition2024
HarvardCite Them Right. Harvard has no single official version, and many universities have their own guide13th edition2025
Law
OSCOLAThe main legal style in the United Kingdom5th edition2026
BluebookThe legal style of the United States22nd edition2025
Medicine and health
AMA11th edition2020

Other styles, such as Turabian, Vancouver, IEEE, ACS, CSE, ASA, APSA, AAA and MHRA, and the house styles of universities and journals, are available on request. Send me the style guide you need, and I will confirm that I can check it, along with the edition and the price, before you pay.

Many writers are still using an older edition without knowing it. If your citations follow an earlier edition, such as the 6th edition of APA, the 17th of Chicago or the 4th of OSCOLA, the report says so, explains what changed, and points you to the current rules.

This is a notice, not an error. Some universities and journals still require an older edition, and your own institution’s guide always comes first. If yours requires an older edition, tell me when you order and I will check against that one instead.

A sample of the report

Every issue is shown with its location, what you wrote, and what to do about it.

Citation Audit Report

Example only. The sources below are invented.

Issue 3 of 23 Older edition Reference list, throughout
What I found
Your references show features of the 6th edition of APA: a publisher location before the publisher (for example “Lagos: Spectrum Books”) and “Retrieved from” before every web address.
Current edition
The 7th edition drops the publisher location and gives a DOI as a full web address.
What to do
Update the references to the 7th edition format. If your university or journal requires the 6th edition, tell me and I will check against that edition instead.
Issue 7 of 23 Cited but not listed Chapter 2, page 14
In your text
“…as argued by Okafor (2018)…”
In your list
No entry for Okafor (2018). The closest entry is Okafor (2019), which you cite in Chapter 3.
What to do
Confirm the year, then correct either the citation or the list entry.
Issue 12 of 23 Details differ Reference list, entry 31
Your entry
Adeyemi, T. (2020). Teaching grammar in large classes. Journal of Language Education, 14(2), 22–41.
Published record
Volume 15, issue 2, pages 22–41.
What to do
Check the journal’s own page and correct the volume number.
Issue 18 of 23 Could not verify Reference list, entry 44
Your entry
Eze, N. (2017). Local government records and public memory.
Result
Not found in the databases checked. This is common for local reports, theses and books, and does not mean the source is false.
What to do
Check the library catalogue or ask the author for the full publication details. If the source cannot be traced, remove it.

The real report lists all issues in the order they appear in your document.

Download a complete sample report (PDF)

A full report for a shorter document: a journal article with 20 references. Every source in it is invented.

How verification results are reported

Every reference receives one of three labels. A search that finds nothing is not proof that a source is false, so the report is careful about what it claims.

Verified

The work was found and the details in your entry match the published record.

Details differ

The work was found, but something in your entry does not match, such as the year, volume or pages.

Could not verify

The work was not found in the databases checked. You are told what to try next.

I never label a reference “fabricated” on the strength of a database search alone. Journals from Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa, government reports and many books are poorly indexed, and an honest source should not be marked as false for that reason.

How it works

  1. Order

    Choose the size that fits your reference list, fill in the short order form and pay.

  2. Send your file

    Upload or send your Word document (.docx), quoting your order number. If your institution gave you a style guide, send that too.

  3. Receive your report

    Within 48 hours, once I have reviewed it, you receive the report as a Word file and a PDF, and your own paper with a comment beside each issue.

  4. Correct and recheck

    Fix the issues yourself. If you want a second check, send the revised file at the reduced price.

Prices

Priced by the number of references in your list.

Rates are in US dollars, with the naira equivalent shown for convenience.
Size of your reference listPriceOrder
Up to 50 referencesA typical article or short project $15₦23,250 Order
51 to 150 referencesA typical dissertation or thesis $30₦46,500 Order
Over 150 referencesPrice confirmed after I see your file From $50From ₦77,500 Ask for a quote
Second checkAfter you have corrected the issues $8₦12,400 Order

Naira amounts are calculated at about ₦1,550 to the dollar, as on the rest of this site, and change with the exchange rate. The price is confirmed before you pay.

How your document is handled

A thesis or manuscript is unpublished work, and it is yours. I use it only to prepare your report, and I tell you plainly which tools I work with.

Please read the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service before you send a file.

  • I use your document only to prepare your report. I do not sell it, publish it or use it for marketing.
  • While I work I may use online tools: an AI assistant (Claude), a writing checker (Grammarly), Google Docs, and online file converters. Each has its own privacy terms.
  • If your document is sensitive, tell me when you order. I will then handle it only on my own computer, without these tools.
  • I delete my copies 14 days after your report is delivered. The tools above may keep their own copies for a limited time under their own policies.
  • The report is not published, and your name is not listed anywhere.

Questions

How do I check the references in my thesis before I submit it?

You can check them yourself against your style guide, but it is slow and easy to miss things in a long document. The Citation Audit does it for you: it compares every in-text citation with your reference list, checks the style and edition you name, and looks each reference up in scholarly databases. You receive a report, and your own paper with a comment beside each issue.

Does the audit work for Nigerian and African theses and journals?

Yes. Many Nigerian and African journals, government reports and books are poorly indexed by foreign databases. A source that cannot be found is reported as “Could not verify”, which is not the same as wrong, and you are told what to try next.

Do you correct my document?

No. You receive a report that tells you what to fix and where, and a copy of your own paper with a comment beside each issue. The wording of your text is never changed, and the corrections stay in your hands.

Which citation styles do you check?

The main styles in the table above: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, OSCOLA, Bluebook and AMA. Other styles, such as Turabian, Vancouver, IEEE, ACS, CSE and ASA, and university or journal house styles, are available on request. For those, send me the style guide with your order, and I will confirm that I can check it, along with the edition and the price, before you pay.

What if I am using an older edition of my style?

The report tells you. It names the edition your citations appear to follow, explains the main differences from the current one, and points you to the current rules.

If your university or journal requires an older edition, tell me when you order and I will audit against that edition instead.

What if my university or journal has its own style guide?

Then that guide comes first. Send it with your order, and the audit checks your citations against it, not against a general style.

Can I send a PDF instead of a Word file?

Please send a Word file (.docx), because it lets me read your citations accurately. If you only have a PDF, ask first.

What if you cannot verify one of my sources?

You are told, and the report suggests what to try, such as the journal’s own website or a library catalogue. “Could not verify” does not mean the source is false.

Will this tell me whether my supervisor will accept the work?

No. The audit checks citations and references only. It does not judge your argument, your writing or your university’s formatting rules. For those, see the other services under maurice@edit.

Which tools do you use on my document?

While I work I may use an AI assistant (Claude), a writing checker (Grammarly), Google Docs, and online converters between Word and PDF. These services have their own privacy terms.

If your document is sensitive, tell me when you order and I will handle it only on my own computer, without them.

Do you check for plagiarism or AI-written text?

No. The audit checks whether your citations and references are correct, complete and traceable. It can show you which references cannot be found, which sometimes happens with references invented by AI tools, but it cannot tell which tool produced them. It is not a plagiarism or AI-detection service.

Order your Citation Audit

Fill in the form, pay, then send your file. There is no need to message me first.

  1. Fill in the form
  2. Pay
  3. Send your Word file
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2. Your details
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Placing an order does not charge you. You pay on the next screen.

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Order reference:

  1. Pay

  2. Send your Word file (.docx)

  3. Receive your report

    Your report arrives within 48 hours of receiving your file, as a Word file and a PDF, with your own paper returned with comments beside each issue.

Prefer to talk first? Message me and I will answer.

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WhatsApp: +234 802 331 7282  |  Email: udommaurice@gmail.com
Order your Citation Audit